Pin-support and link-adjuster for car-couplings



(No Model.)

A. B. EWING.

PIN SUPPORT AND LINK ADJUSTER FOR OAR GOUPLINGS. No. 370,184.

Patented Sept. 20

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IU'PCTERS. Pholo'uthognphcr, Wnhv'ngton. D. C.

ALVAN B. ElVING, OF LEYVISBURG, TENNESSEE- PIN-SUPPORT AND LINK-ADJUSTER FOR CAR-COUPLINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,184, dated September 20, 1887.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVAN B. EWING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lewisburg, in the county of Marshall and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful I1nprovements in Pin Supports and Link-Adj usters for Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-couplings, and has for its object to provide a novel pin support and link-adjnster adapted to ordinary draw-heads in common use for automatically coupling the cars by the usual link and pin and adjusting the link to couple with draw-heads of varying height. This object I accomplish by the features of construction hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of an ordinary draw-head provided with my invention, Fig. 2, a detached perspective view ofthe pin-support and link-adjuster adapted to one form of draw-head, and Fig. 3 a similar view showing the device formed to fit a differently-shaped draw-head. I

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention,I will now describe the same in detail, referring .to the drawings, where- The numeral 1 indicates an ordinary drawhead such as now in common use, having the usual square or similar shaped opening in its forward end to receive the coupling-link 2 and provided with the rear wall or shoulder, 3.

The pinsupport and link-adjuster is composed of two horizontal parallel arms, 4, arranged one above the other and connected at their rear ends by a vertical plate, 5, having on its outer face a series of transverse project in g flanges,6,arranged in a series one above the other. The horizontal arms adjacent to their forward ends are provided with orifices 7, adapted to coincide with the pin-openings 8 in the top and bottom walls of the draw-head, and the outer extremity of each arm is provided on its inside with a transverse rib, the one, 9, on the upper arm projecting downward and the one, 10, on the lower arm projecting upward. The arms 4 and plate 5 are of such construction as to nicely fit and slide in the opening in the front end of the draw-head, as

shown in Fig. 1, and this form or shape of the device will be changed or varied according to the shape of the opening in the draw-head. For instance, in Fig. 3 I have shown the connecting-plate 5 as curved or rounded to fit a similar-shaped rear wall in a draw-head. For other shaped openingsin draw-heads the arms and connecting-plate will be correspondingly formed.

A spring, 11', is placed between the rearwall or shoulder, 3, of theopeningin the draw-head and the inner face of the connecting-plate 5, which spring is preferably arranged at one end in a seat, 12, in-said wall or shoulder. The spring acts to advance the pin-support so that the openings 7 in its arms 4 are placed out of coincidence with thepin-openings in the drawhead,when the pin 13 will be supported by a solid part of the upper arm 4. An entering link strikes the connecting-plate 5,the spring 11 yields, and the pin-support moves rearward until the orifices 7 are brought into coincidence with the pin-openings 8, whereupon the couplingpin 13 will drop and thus automatically couple the cars.

Occasion often arises when it becomes neces sary to couple one car with another in which one draw-head is higher or lower than the other, and this is effected 'in avery simple and efficient manner by my invention. If the end ofthe couplinglink be set under the bottom one of the flanges 6 on the connecting-plate 5, the outer end of the link will, by resting upon the transverse rib 10 on the lower arm 4 be elevated above a horizontal line to couple with a higher draw-head. If the end of the coupling'link is rested upon the upper one of the flanges 6,the outer end of the link will by resting on said rib 10 be depressed below a horizontal line to couple with a lower draw-head. If the draw-head be of the same height,or ap proximately so, the link is set on a level, as will be obvious and as shown by full lines in Fig. 1. In this figure I have illustrated by dotted lines the inclinations of the couplinglink before mentioned.

By providing each arm 4 with a rib, as set forth, the device is rendered reversible, and if the spring 11 be omitted the rib on the top arm serves as a finger-piece by which to draw the pi n-support forward and thus set it by hand head. i

to support the pin for automatic couplings. I prefer, however, to employ aspring to advance the pin-support. i

It will be obvious that by providing the transverse rib or ribs on the forward end of the arms 4 and the flanges 6 on the connectingplate 5 of these arms, a pin-support and linkadjuster is provided that can be applied to any draw-head already in use where the coupling is effected by a link and pin, and this can be accomplished without changing the construction of or altering the draw-head.

The transverse ribs upon the ends of the arms 4 are beveled off, as shown in Fig. 1, to correspond with the flare orinclination of the outer end of the draw-head, whereby the coupling-link will easily enter without displacing the pin-support.

Pins 15 are set in the sides of the draw-head and project in front of the wall 5,to prevent the withdrawal of the pin-support from the draw- Having thus described my invention,what I claim is- 1. A pin-support and link-adj uster for the ordinary draw-heads of cars, consisting of the upper and lower arms, one of which is provided with a transverse elevation or rib at its forward extremity, and the rear connectingplate having a series of transverse flanges, substantially as described.

2. A pin-support and link-adjuster for the ordinary draw-heads of cars, consisting of the upper and lower arms, each having the inside of its front extremity provided with a transverse rib,and the rear connecting-plate having a series of transverse flanges, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afifix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

ALVAN B. EWING.

Witnesses:

S. D. DAVIS, J. A. EWING. 

